Ivan Kurtyak Social and political figure. Date of Birth: 21.02.1888 Country: Czech

1. Education and Early Career
2. Military Service and Political Involvement
3. Founding of the "Autonomous Agricultural Union"
4. Parliamentary Career and Advocacy for Autonomy
5. Death and Legacy

Education and Early Career

Avgustin Volodymyr Kuptiak was born in the town of Khust, in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He received his primary education in the local public schools before enrolling in the Uzhhorod Teachers' Seminary, where he graduated in 1910. Kuptiak then worked as a teacher in the village schools of Chepa and Saldoposh.

Military Service and Political Involvement

With the outbreak of World War I, Kuptiak was drafted into the Austro-Hungarian Army and served on the Eastern (Russian) Front. He was wounded in November 1914 and, after hospitalization, served as a military censor in Vienna from 1916 to 1918. Upon returning to his hometown in September 1918, Kuptiak became the Inspector of Schools for the Maramureș County.

After the annexation of Subcarpathian Ruthenia by Czechoslovakia, Kuptiak left government service and devoted himself to political activism. He became a member of the "Subcarpathian Agricultural Union" (PZS) and held leadership positions in various pro-Hungarian organizations.

Founding of the "Autonomous Agricultural Union"

In 1924, Kuptiak co-founded the "Autonomous Agricultural Union" (AZS) after disagreeing with the PZS's decision to join the "Republican Agricultural Party of Subcarpathian Ruthenia." He served as the AZS's chairman from 1924 to 1933.

Parliamentary Career and Advocacy for Autonomy

As a member of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czechoslovak Parliament, Kuptiak advocated for the immediate implementation of Subcarpathian Ruthenia's autonomous status. He was the author of a draft bill on autonomy in 1931, which was rejected by the parliament.

Death and Legacy

Kuptiak died in 1933 after a brief illness in the hospital in Szolyva. He was buried in Khust. During the Hungarian occupation of Subcarpathian Ruthenia from 1939 to 1944, Kuptiak's name was often invoked to promote the idea of "Hungarian-Rusyn brotherhood."